Once Upon a River

By: Diane Setterfield

Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson

Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

From the instant number one New York Times best-selling author of the “eerie and fascinating” (USA Today) The Thirteenth Tale comes a richly imagined, powerful new novel about how we explain the world to ourselves, ourselves to others, and the meaning of our lives in a universe that remains impenetrably mysterious.

A body always tells a story - but this child’s was a blank page.

Rita reached for the lantern on its hook. She trained its light on the child’s face.

"Who are you?" she murmured, but the face said as little as the rest of her. It was impossible to tell whether, in life, these blunt and unfinished features had borne the imprint of prettiness, timid watchfulness, or sly mischief. If there had once been curiosity or placidity or impatience here, life had not had time to etch it into permanence.

Only a very short time ago - two hours or not much more - the body and soul of this little girl had still been securely attached. At this thought, and despite all her training, all her experience, Rita found herself suddenly in the grip of a storm of feeling. All the old rage at God - for not being kind, for not being fair, and finally for just not being - swept her up all over again and she felt tears of anger on her face. She took the child’s hand in hers - the perfect hand with its five perfect fingers and their perfect fingernails - and the words fell out of her that she had not known were there:

"It should not be so! It should not be so!"

And that is when it happened.

©2019 Diane Setterfield (P)2019 Simon & Schuster Audio

Best book I have read in years!!

This book was so fantastic I cried when it ended. I will replay it at some point, which is rare for me- but I just don't want it to end. The depth of each character, the artistry of word play, the emotional depth, the narration- just superb. I can't wait to visit the river, and investigate the true life characters that inspired some of this tail. I love you Diane Setterfield and Juliet Stevenson- how incredible you both are.

Perfect pairing

Juliet Stevenson's immaculate performance does so much to heighten Setterfield's intricate and intriguing tales. This is one listen that I wanted to go on forever!

Swept me away

Loved everything about it. The narrator was remarkable, the story compelling and magical , i might even listen to it again

Excellent

When you start a book of over 12-15 hours it is a commitment. Trust me when I say this book is a commitment you will not come to question. The many branches of the story tree all have roots and make into a beautiful tree. The author has woven every twig in and left nothing hanging. The reader is just perfect. This books only flaw is that it wasn't twice as long as it is.

Brilliant performance by Juliet Stevenson

The story is all the things you want a story to be. Transporting, sweet, unexpected, and thrilling. But the performance was nothing short of magical. Juliet Stevenson is a master storyteller who brought every character to life in crisp detail through her voices and acting. Lovely in every way.

Splendid prose, superlative narration

With such an enthusiastic heading, why only (4) stars ? Well, in spite of the all the wonderful things about this book (heartwarming characters/dastardly villains, intricate plotting, gorgeous writing and, above all, the NARRATION=perfection), the story had so many slow points, and needed a trim to drive the plot forward. This is a book to read when you can settle in and let yourself "follow the river".

Magical journey

Listener’s will be transported...guided on a mystical, mesmerizing journey. With her story the author guides readers along, meeting interesting characters, hearing exquisitely crafted tales and enjoying the journey from beginning to end. Beautifully read and interpreted by the narrator, it was as if I had watched a movie, but I was left with a more rich and memorable experience, fully immersed in this wonderfully written story.

A great read/listen

What I absolutely loved about this book was that the loose ends were not all tidied up in the last 20 minutes of the book. Superb storytelling with just enough breakcrumbs left for things to come to likely conclusions with some twists and turns to keep you anxiously reading. No over the top drama but lots of intrigue.

I love the mysticism that only a few believe and we can decide what is reality.

The narrator did an excellent job of keeping voices that were so regionally similar separate. The tale wove in and out like a river, picking up lost threads to weave it's magic throughout.

Fantastic story, great reader!

This book was suggested to me by my sister who lives along the Thames and is infatuated with it. This was a perfect combination of classic story lines and a touch of the supernatural. I was thoroughly impressed by the readers ability to voice so many characters! Definitely a fantastic listen!!

One of my top 5 favorite audiobooks of all time!

A tale within a tale. Setterfield & Stevenson are masters of their craft. Truly sublime!